


Reveal

by rabbitearedwarbler



Category: Charmed (TV 1998)
Genre: Coming Out, Family, Gen, Sibling Bonding, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 10:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16262537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rabbitearedwarbler/pseuds/rabbitearedwarbler
Summary: Warnings for unintentional misgendering in the narrative. Otherwise, this is purely fluff.





	Reveal

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for unintentional misgendering in the narrative. Otherwise, this is purely fluff.

Piper had noticed something off about Phoebe since she returned from New York--besides the whole latent magical powers, protecting themselves from evil thing. No--Phoebe had something else going on with her. With the long-lasting feud between her and Prue, Piper was struggling with whether to ask the eldest what she thought.

It was a Tuesday afternoon in mid autumn, just after Mabon, when everything started to piece together. Piper was off work, and with no evil beings infringing on her nice day (yet), she was taking some time to relax, watch TV, and try out a new cupcake recipe. She called upstairs. “Phoebe! Can you come down here?” A solid ten seconds passed with no reply, so Piper set her spatula down on the counter and climbed the stairs.

“Phoebe?” She pushed the bathroom door open just slightly to see Phoebe staring in the mirror, expression hopeless and exhausted. Her fun-loving trouble-making sister depressed? Not on her watch.

But Piper hesitated, feeling as though she were spying on a private moment. After a moment, she took a step back from the door and said, “Hey, Phoebe, I made cupcakes; do you want to taste test?”

She heard some shuffling and then, “Uh--y...yeah! I’ll be right there.” Relief filled Piper, followed by concern. Was Phoebe just crying?

“Alright, well hurry up before I eat them first!” And with that the middle child retreated to the kitchen.

 

Later that night, Piper was pulling a pan of brownies out of the oven when Prue came home.

“What’s all this?”

Piper turned to face her, and before she could get a word out Prue spoke again.  
  
“Stress baking? What’s going on?”

Piper cast a glance at Phoebe who was watching television with Kit. She faltered for a moment then sighed. “Something’s going on with Phoebe.”

Prue raised an eyebrow and followed her gaze. “Really? Why do you think that?”

Piper slumped as she checked the brownies’ temperature. So she hadn’t noticed. “You know how sometimes you just have a bad feeling?” She glanced again at her little sister, an expression of worry overtaking her face.

Prue flicked her eyes to Phoebe and back to Piper. “I’ll keep an eye out for hints of something, alright?” Piper looked at Prue’s honest expression and relaxed slightly.

“I don’t--I don’t know. I was considering just--snooping around in her room--see if she has a diary? I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you just ask her?”

Piper sighed. “I don’t...I don’t think she’s going to be honest about it, and if it’s sensitive I don’t want to push--”

“Yeah? Well I’m pushing.” Piper watched in horror as Prue made a beeline for Phoebe.

“Wait!” She spoke in a harsh whisper. “Prue!”  
  
She followed her older sister out to the couch just as Phoebe fixed Prue with a glare. “Hey! I was watching that!”

“Is something going on with you?” Prue said, ignoring Phoebe’s annoyance.

“What are you talking about?” the youngest made eye contact with Piper over Prue’s shoulder. “What’s going on?”

Piper exhaled slowly, folding her hands as she mentally prepared herself. “You’ve seemed...not yourself lately.” Her voice and gaze softened at once. “Are you okay?”

“Oh.” Conflict flickered in Phoebe’s eyes. “I’m fine.” She gave a cheesy smile. “Can you two stop acting so weird now?”

Piper and Prue exchanged a glance. “Phoebe, we’re sisters,” Prue tried, and Piper noticed the youngest visibly flinch. “You can tell us anything.”

“Nothing is going on,” Phoebe replied, an edge to her voice. “Now leave me alone.” She huffed and crossed her arms, curling in on herself slightly.  
  
Piper worried, “Phoebe…” She reached out to touch Phoebe’s shoulder, but the latter suddenly stood, squaring her shoulders. “Stop. Nothing’s wrong, okay? Just leave me alone.”

Piper and Prue watched as Phoebe escaped up the stairs and into her room like an angry teenager. “Nice going, Prue!” Piper threw her hands up and returned to the kitchen to make a calming tea.

 

***   
  


A few weeks after the event, no one had even tried to bring it up. Piper figured Phoebe would reveal her troubles when she was ready, no matter how agonizing the wait would be.

Piper was tidying around the house when she was suddenly interrupted by Phoebe hugging her tightly from behind. Piper immediately became suspicious.

“What is it, Phoebes?”

“Let’s have a makeover night.” Phoebe let go and Piper turned to face her. “You know, like we did when we were kids.”

Piper could feel Phoebe’s excited energy radiating off of her as she bounced from foot to foot, anxiously awaiting a reply.

A little confused but not unwilling, Piper agreed. “With or without Prue?”

Without missing a beat, Phoebe answered, “With. It’ll be just like old times.”

A few hours later Prue and Piper entered the upstairs bathroom to find an array of various makeup kits and brushes set out, Phoebe patiently sitting on a stool, facing her sisters.  
  
“You really went all out,” Piper remarked, amused.

“Come on, who wants to do me?” Piper could have sworn Phoebe sounded nervous, which baffled her.

Piper looked at Prue. “Depends, who do you trust with your face?”  
  
After a long moment, Phoebe said, “Prue.”

Piper leaned against the door, curious as to what her older sister would do.

Prue stood behind Phoebe. “Alright, what kind of look do you want?”

The youngest shrugged and threw one hand up. “Something...decorative...beautiful, feminine. Very feminine.”  
  
Prue thought for a moment and grabbed an eyeshadow brush. She brushed her own hair behind her ear and grabbed a case of purples and blues. “Don’t look so scared, Phoebe, I’m not going to make it look terrible.”

Phoebe exhaled awkwardly, nervous laughter caught in her throat. Piper looked on in concern, unsure whether to ask just what was going on.

Piper watched as Prue did Phoebe’s mascara, gave her eyeliner with wings, and did magenta and silver eyeshadow. She’d done foundation and contour and added a light pink blush as well as a baby pink lipstick. Once Prue was satisfied with her job, she stood back with her hands on her hips. “All done.”  
  
Phoebe was gripping the bathroom counter and had yet to open her eyes. PIper thought Prue had done a pretty nice job. It looked pretty, and the colors worked well.

Phoebe opened her eyes and immediately began to cry. Prue put her hands up in confused surrender, and Piper rushed to her side. “Phoebe? What is it?”

“I can’t. I can’t do this,” the youngest sobbed. She was pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes, rubbing the makeup with the tears.  
  
In one abrupt movement, Phoebe’s hand shot out and grabbed a makeup wipe from the package next to her and began furiously wiping at her face.

“Hey,” Prue protested, “I just spent twenty minutes on that.”

Phoebe wasn’t listening. She seemed to be somewhere else entirely. Piper and Prue exchanged a glance and watched in helpless confusion.

When all the makeup was gone, she appeared to have calmed down a bit. She hiccupped and sniffled, eyes fixed on the linoleum tiling beneath her.

Piper took a deep breath. “Phoebe, what was that about?”

“Guys...I’m not...I…” Phoebe was wringing her hands. Finally she looked up. “Look, I’ll tell you everything. But can I have a minute? I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Alright...we love you, Phoebe, and you can tell us anything.” Piper kissed Phoebe’s cheek (who promptly wiped it) and left the room, waiting for Prue, who hesitated. “Come on, let’s give Phoebe a moment to calm down.”   
  


After that eruption, Piper felt strangely calm as she buzzed around the kitchen. Prue was staring off into space in the living room. Somehow, Piper had the feeling that everything would be alright.

Five minutes passed and Phoebe sat on the middle cushion of the couch, now wearing a baggy sweatshirt over her clothes. The sleeves went past her hands but it didn’t seem to bother her.

Piper stepped out of the kitchen, handing Phoebe a hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream, charmed to help her calm down, and she gave Prue a cup of hot cider charmed to help her have empathy. Prue looked up in surprise and Phoebe mumbled a “thank you.”

Piper sat down with a berry tea to help her be considerate and thoughtful. “Whenever you’re ready, Phoebe.”

The youngest witch sipped her drink quietly, breathing in deeply. “I’m going to tell you something weird,” she began, “But I need you to try to understand.”  
  
“Okay,” Piper said calmly, just as Prue said, “We will.”

“I’ve had these feelings ever since I was young. Of being different, and at first I didn’t know why.” Phoebe closed her eyes as she explained. “And in New York, I made some friends that...were different, too. Which finally made me realize why I’ve been feeling like this. But I...well, it wasn’t long after I started to figure it out that you called me to move back here. And I’ve just been...pushing it down. Then all this witch stuff happened and it made it so much more confusing, but I think mostly I just didn’t want you two to hate me.”

“What are you saying?” asked Prue.

Phoebe made eye contact with Piper, who nodded encouragingly. “I thought this would help me see that I was just being silly about it all,” she said, not really answering. She looked down. “The makeover, I mean.”

Phoebe closed her eyes against tears, and all three of them were silent for a minute, until:

“Prue, Piper, I’m transgender.” And everything made sense.

Phoebe refused to open his eyes.

It took a moment to process. “Okay. Phoebes? Do you want us to call you ‘he?’” Piper asked. She had not been expecting that, but she wouldn't let Phoebe feel bad about it, about finally confiding in them.

Phoebe nodded, and tears started to stream down his cheeks. Piper pulled him close. “It’s okay, we love you. We have some questions, but we love you.”

Finally the youngest opened his eyes. Timidly, he questioned, “Prue?”

Prue looked troubled. “Do you know for sure?”

“Yeah, I’m…” he exhaled, “Pretty sure.”

Piper had another thought. “What about your name? Do you have a different one you want us to use?”

“I...I haven’t even thought about that,” Phoebe half laughed.  
  
“I don’t get it,” Prue said honestly, “But I am going to try my best.”  
  
“Thank you. Thank you.”

  
***

 

“What do you even call a male witch, anyway?” Prue wondered aloud one afternoon, about a week after Phoebe’s coming out. The three siblings were looking through the Book of Shadows for general useful spells. Piper was mainly keeping an eye out for wards and protection spells.

“I was wondering that, actually,” said Phoebe as he turned the page. “I mean...a warlock is, well, an evil witch. And if a warlock can be a man or a woman, wouldn’t the same apply to witches?”

Piper paused in her reading. “That does make some sense.” She thought for a moment. “Wizard? Mage?”

Phoebe shrugged. “A witch is just someone who practices magick. I don’t see any reason to change the word I use. Besides, I like being the three witches.” He scrunched his nose. “Also, those words make me think of old guys with white beards.”

Piper rolled her eyes fondly. “Fair enough.”

Something caught Piper’s eye. She reached out a hand to stop Phoebe from turning the page.  
  
_Shapeshift Glamour,_ it read. Piper copied the information into her notebook, ignoring her siblings’ curious looks. Piper nudged Phoebe with her shoulder. “Continue.”

 

***

Piper was aware of the suspicious glint in her eye as she called Phoebe into the bathroom. Prue nudged her. “Are you sure this isn’t a little much?” the oldest asked, concerned. “We don’t know if sh-- _ ow!-- _ he wants this.”

Prue rubbed her side where Piper had elbowed her.

“Don’t worry,” Piper said, “I won’t do it without permission.”

Phoebe poked his head in. “Yes?”

“Oh, good!” Piper clapped her hands. “Come in! I was wondering if we could try a glamour on you? Maybe it would help you feel more comfortable?”

Phoebe furrowed his eyebrows and sat on the stool in front of the mirror. “Uh, sure.”

Piper got to work on her younger brother’s hair as Prue started drawing sigils for masculinity and confidence on his face in foundation.

She combed his hair, not changing much but whispering a chant as she did so. She knew Phoebe really liked makeup and felt that that conflicted with his gender, but as Prue gave him eyeshadow and mascara, the sisters hoped to show him he didn’t need to give up his interests.

“All done,” Prue announced proudly as she set the makeup aside.

Phoebe opened his eyes and they went wide. “I…”

Nervous energy filled Piper’s being. She couldn’t tell if that was a positive reaction. “What do you think?” Phoebe absolutely passed as masculine.

“I don’t...thank you so much. Is...am I even looking at myself right now?” He sounded choked up.

“Yeah, that’s 100% you, Phoebe,” Prue replied.  
  
Phoebe suddenly seemed serious. “Wait, are the Powers That Be about to strike us down for using magick for personal gain?”

Piper shook her head. “I’ve been dabbling in everyday magick and it hasn’t backfired on me.” She paused. “Yet. Anyway, magick doesn’t seem to mind unless it’s for money, love, or a curse for a petty reason.”

“Piper, you are amazing,” Phoebe said, in awe. He had his eyes glued to the mirror in disbelief. “And Prue, I know you don’t totally understand but you did this for me and…” he trailed off.

“You’re welcome,” Prue replied, amused.  
  
“I think it’s the same type of thing as you using your tarot cards to try to control your power more,” Piper added as an afterthought.

Phoebe nodded, hardly seeming to be listening. He leaned his head on Piper’s shoulder. “Love you guys.”

Prue let out a laugh. “Love you too.”

Piper tried something out just to see his eyes light up. “Love you too, little brother.”  
  
Three beats passed.

(It worked.)


End file.
